Entities with substantial printing demands typically use a production printer. A production printer is a high-speed printer used for volume printing (e.g., one hundred pages per minute or more). Production printers include continuous-form printers that print on a web of print media stored on a large roll.
A production printer typically includes a localized print controller that controls the overall operation of the printing system, and a print engine (sometimes referred to as an “imaging engine” or a “marking engine”). The print engine includes one or more printhead assemblies, with each assembly including a printhead controller and a printhead (or array of printheads). An individual printhead includes multiple tiny nozzles (e.g., 360 nozzles per printhead depending on resolution) that are operable to discharge ink as controlled by the printhead controller. A printhead array is formed from multiple printheads that are spaced in series across the width of the web of print media.
While the printer is in operation, the web of print media is quickly passed underneath the nozzles, which discharge wet ink at intervals to form pixels on the web. A radiant dryer may be installed downstream from the printer to dry this wet ink. The radiant dryer assists in drying the ink on the web after the web leaves the printer. A typical radiant dryer includes an array of lamps that emit infrared light and heat. The lamps help to dry the ink onto the web as the web passes through the dryer.
Even when a web of print media moves quickly through a dryer, it has a chance of scorching or burning while drying. This is because some portions of the web are darker than other portions of the web, and will absorb more radiant infrared energy from the dryer. For example, a dark marked portion of the web may absorb more energy than un-marked portions or light marked portions of the web. Such an uneven distribution of heat to different portions of the web can also cause permanent warping and distortion of the web.